This picture was taken on April 7, 1969 at the Niagara Falls airfield (USA).
This picture was taken on April 7, 1969 at the Niagara Falls airfield (USA). It shows pilot Robert Curter soaring in the air during the first test of a new jetpack. Kurter flew about 100 m in a circle at a height of 7 m, reaching a speed of 45 km/h, and landed safely. The following flights were longer, 5 minutes each. In theory, the satchel could reach speeds of up to 135 km / h and stay in the air for up to 25 minutes. By the way, modern jetpacks allow the pilot to fly around Everest several times! The backpack was developed by Bell Aerosystems by order of the American military agency ARPA. The main difference between the new model and previous versions was that it was equipped with a real turbojet engine. The project was named Jet Flying Belt, or simply Jet Belt. It took four years to develop, from 1965 to 1969. However, the satchel remained an experimental model. On May 29, 1969, the main inventor of the project, Wendell Moore, died of an illness, and all work was curtail...